The kind gesture is happening on July 19th

A kind hearted owner of a chain of barber shops is offering free haircuts to all frontline staff on July 19th between 12 -6pm.

Rhona Doogan, owner of Fir Barbers in Navan, Kells and Oldcastle is organising the day ‘to pay tribute’ to essential workers who worked through the COVID 19 pandemic.

Commenting on why this gesture was so important, she said:

“We wanted to do it frontline workers, they deserve something in return for the amazing work they have done and continue to do over the past few months.

“We said it all along from the start of lockdown that we’d do something so now we are taking action and backing it up.”

“We rang around the garda Stations, Navan Hospital and the fire stations to let them know that they are welcome to avail of the offer.

"As are cleaners, porters and all healthcare workers.

“We said go on our booksy app and book yourselves in for a day of free hair cuts, we have twelve staff working and we will be delighted to welcome them in.”

Rhona who opened her first salon in Kells thirteen years ago followed by her shop in Navan in 2012 amazingly opened a third barber shop in Oldcastle on Monday.

“We had too many staff with all of the new restrictions and my staff have been with me donkey’s years and there was no way we were going to split them up so we took on another premises and opened up a new barber shop in Oldcastle.”

The barber shop owner who also has Zara Piercing Studio in Navan has praised her ‘dedicated and loyal staff’ who have been ‘a godsend to her as they reopened this week.

“I would be lost without my staff. They all turned up at Oldcastle and got stuck in, cleaned out the place, painted it, they did everything.”

The new way of working this week as salons reopened after being closed since March took a bit of getting used to according to the business owner.

“It was appointments only and we would have always been walk ins and for thirteen years a lot of our customers in Kells have never gone anywhere else.

“Kells is the most dysfunctional shop ever, the music is blaring and the customers are all over the place and all of a sudden we were telling them they couldn’t come in without an appointment.

“We were a bundle of nerves, I have been a barber since I was 16 and you’d swear it was our first ever day to cut hair.

“I don’t that I could have gotten through our first week without my three juniors because they are meeting everyone at the door and talking them through the app.

“They are the first point of contact for customers and the three of them are running the show.”